Seed saving attachment for mowing machines



SEED SAVING ATTACHMENT FOR MOWING MACHINES In venor oct. 25, 193s. F. SELLS E v2,134,239

SEED SAVINGA ATTACHMENT FOR MOWING MACHINES Filed Aug. 9, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenor F. SEI-LS SEED SAVING ATTACHMENT FOR MOWING MACHINES Uc, Z5, i938.

Filed Aug. 9, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor 7 .W/@f y//S @125, 1938. FSI-11.5 2,134,239

SEED SAVING ATTACHMENT EUR MOWING MACHINES Filed Aug. 9, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 orneys Patented Oct. 25, 1938 SEED SAVING ATTACHMENT For, d MACHINES PATENT oFF-lcs MOWING;

Floyd Sells, Monroe, N. C. Y Application August 9, 1937, serial Naf 158,223

2Y claims. (c1. st-220) This invention relates to a seed saving attachment for a mowing machine, the general object of. the invention being toprovide means for catching the seeds from lespedeza and other grass or the like, while it is being cut, with means for carrying the seed to a point where the seed will be delivered into sacks.

Another object of the invention is to so form the parts that the device can be readily attached to the cutter bar of a mowing machine so that it will move along with the machine and to operate the moving parts of the device fromone of the ground wheels which actr to help support the device. .Y

This invention also consists in certainother features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of several parts, to be hereinafter fullyvdescribed,illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims- Y l In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denotelike or corresponding which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the device showing the same attached to a mowing machine, the mowing machine being shown in dotted lines. 1

. -Figure2 is a. perspective view of the invention with parts removed.

YFigure 3V is a view looking toward that endjof the machine which is llocated adjacent an end or side of the mowing machine when `the device is attached to the mowing machine.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view through the lower part :of vthe machine.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation with parts in section to show the elevator and the conveyor and thesacking means.-

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional-view showing the clutch means for the reel, shaft.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevation of the parts shown in Figure 6. v

Figure 8 is adetail view of the movable clutch member.

In these drawings, the letter A indicates the pan-like base of the invention, the pan including the bottom part l, the side part 2 and the rear wall 3. A short front Wall 4 is provided for the pan and its upper edge is formed with the hinged barrels 5. The side walls slope downwardly and forwardlyto the front of the pan and a Ycross piece 6, preferably of wood, extends across the front of the pan and is suitably fas-v tened in place, the top'of the piece 6 sloping upwardly and rearwardly from the front wall 4, as shown more particularly in Figure 4. A plurality of strips 1 is fastened tothe bottom face of the ,panl and-'extend parallel to` the sides thereof and have their front ends projecting beyond the front Wall 6 and; these ends are perforated to receive bolts or the like whichact to fasten .the front of the Vpan to the cutter bar b of amowing'machine B, as shown in Figure l. The bottom of the pan is also provided withreinforcing bars 8 which are connected with the bars 'l and with parts ofthe pan, if desired. A frame .9 is attached to the outer side of the pan and'supports the ground wheel-.l0 'and a. frame l l isconnected to the inner side of therdevice and supports the Wheel I2 which .is provided with cleats on itsl rim so'that'it' will notV slip as this wheel is used to drive Athe'movalole parts of the invention. li*

.A covermember I3jis hinged to the front 4 of the panby a hingepinpassing through the barrels 5 and corresponding barrels on the front edge of the coverlm'ember. andthe `rear part. of this cover. member rests on an inwardly extending part 3': ofthe rear'wall 3,'when the cover member is in positionclosing the-pan. This cover member is rcomposed `of a plurality of transversely extending. strips I3 which overlap each other with the rear edge of oneistrip overlapping the front edge of the next rearwardlyy strip, asxshown inFigure 4, so that shoulders are formed forpreventingthe seeds from rolling down the cover member. As will be seen Y the covermember slopes yupwardly and rearwardly and all the parts thereof excepting the front and rear strips are provided with numerous perforations |4'for the passage of the seed. The seeds passingthroughthe perforations of the cover memberA will fall upon an endless conveyor beltl l5 which "passes over a roller I6 immediately in rear of the cross piece 6 and it also i passes over a roller I] adjacent the rear end of the pan and this conveyorlwill convey the seeds into a trough i8 extending transversely through theY rear part of the pan. A spiral conveyor I9 is located vin the trough an-d passes through an opening in the inner side 2 into the bottom part of a vertically arranged elevator casing 20 which contains the elevator composed of the endless members 2l and the buckets 22. V'Ihe shaft I9 ofthe conveyor I 9 extends across the lower part of the elevator `casing and has the sprockets 23 thereon, as showny in dotted linesin Figure 5, .for the. endless memhelSvZl `of the elevator. Other sprockets 25 so that the conveyor I5 and the spiral conveyor I9 are actuated from this shaft 26. through a sleeve 29 which is rotatably arranged on said shaft 26 and a sprocket 30 isconnected to the sleeve and a chain 3| Vpasses over this sprocket 30 and overa sprocket connected with'4 the wheel I2 so that the shaft 26 is driven from` said wheel I2. The sleeve 29 is detachably connected with the shaft 26 by a coupling which in` cludes the teeth 32 on the inner end of the sleeve, a pin 33 carried by a plug 34 slidably arranged in the shaft 25 and the spring 35 for normally pressing the plug to a position where the pin 33 will engage the teeth 32; The pin 33 passes through a pair of L-shaped slots 36 in the shaft 26 and the spring bears against a stop pin 31 which passes through the shaft 26. Thus with the parts in the position shown in Figures 6 and '1 the clutch is engaged and the shaft will' be driven from the sleeve 29 and the sprocket 30 butl by moving' the pin 33 into the transverse parts of the slots 36 the pin will be disengaged from the sleeve'and thus the shaft 26 `will not be driven by the wheel I2 and thus all the movable Darts of the vinvention will remain at rest even though themowing machine with the invention attached thereto is traveling along. VThe clutch can be moved to either one of the two positions by simplyf grasping the 'ends ofthe pin 33 with the ngers and moving the plug 34 either in one direction or the other.

A plurality of T-shaped arms V38 having their Shanks connected withhubs 39 fastened to the shaft 26 and each arm has vits shank composed of the inner and outer sections 40 and 4| whichare pivotally connected together at their adjacent ends and a sleeve 42 encircles the vouter end of the section 40 and hasV a substantially semicircular part 43 which partly fits around the inner end of the section 4|"So'that said section 4| can movelrearwardlyon its pivot but cannot move forwardly. A spring 44 acts to hold they section 4| instraight extended position on the section 40. .These parts are so arranged that as the arms move downwardly the heads 45 will strike the front part of the cover" member, under which the cross piece 6 is located, and this will cause the sections to break atthe `joint and then as each section 40 moves rearwardly'it' will pull the outer section rearwardly over the cover member :and thus the Vhead 45 will pull the grass cut by the mower rearwardly over thev perforated cover member and the seeds dropping'from the grass will pass through the'perforations in the cover member and drop upon the conveyor I in the pan. AIf desired, rake members 46 can be attached to the outer parts'of the sections 40 to help pull the grass rearwardly, these members 45 being desirable when the stand of hay is heavy. After the heads 45 pass off the rear of the device the springs 44 will bring the sections 4| back into alignment with the sections 40, .as shown in Figure 1.- The springs 44 are strong enough not The inner end of the shaft 26 extends" only to hold the sections 4| in a straight extended position on the sections 40 but such springs should be made 'strong enough to cause heads 45 to bear down on the perforated pan so as to force the hay rearwardly over the pan cover, thus beating and dragging the seed loose from the hay andat the Sametime causing the seed to work downV through the hay and then pass through the perforations in the cover. These springs '44' alsoact to ,suddenly straighten out the sections 4| as the heads leave'the rear end offthe perforated cover Vso as to force or throw the hay from off the rear end of the cover.

A ,chute 41 receives the Vseeds dropping from the buckets at the upper end of the elevator and this chute willndeliver the seeds into a sack 48, shown in dotted lines, held on a platform -49 attached to the elevator casing, the platform being provided with the upright parts 50 which support a shield 5| which extends around the forward part of the chute, this shield and the holding means 52 hold the top of the bag or sack in open position with the chute extending into the same as shown in Figure 3.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the machine issimply attached to the cutter bar of the mowing machine so that it travels along with the machine and at one, side thereof, the machine being supported bythe wheels l0 and I2, the wheel' I2 actuating the vreel which includes the sectional gathering arm, and the two conveyors andthe elevator. The hay or grass being pulled over the rough perforated surface of the covering Amember by the arms will have the seeds loosened 'side' walls'andparts of the upright frames to keep the' hay or grass from falling off the sides of the device and' a cover member 6| is provided for the drive means at the outer side of the device. .+A dog "is located on the rear ofthe casing 20.

It is thought from the 4fore'goingdescription that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood-that changes may be made in the construction and in thecombination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that suchchanges fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as vnew is:-'

1. In a device of the class described, a beater reel comprising'a shaft, beater arms carried by the shaft and radiating therefrom, each arminvcludin'gl aninner section and an outer section ing its inner end pivoted to the outer end of the inner section, a sleeve on the outer end of each inner section having an outwardly extending prol, jection thereon engaging the inner end of the outer section and preventing said outer section from moving forwardly from an aligned position with the inner section and permitting the outer section to -move rearwardly on its pivot and spring means carried bythe inner section and engaging the outer section for normally holding the outer section against said projection'of the FLOYD sELLs. 

